Well, so much for that having the potential to be an instant classic. After Lamar Jackson left Sunday’s game with a thumb injury, it felt like the Baltimore Ravens never had a realistic shot against the Buffalo Bills.
The Ravens were playing with their QB3. Credit where it’s due: Joe Fagnano made some throws in the face of pressure. Unfortunately, he was always going to be outmatched by the Bills and Josh Allen, and he made inevitable mistakes.
You can’t even call this loss frustrating — it’s just deflating. Baltimore drops to 4-4, and as soon as they get Jackson back, he was out again after one play.
Here are five instant reactions to the Week 8 loss.
5 instant reactions to Baltimore Ravens’ Week 8 loss
Ravens have to face life without Lamar Jackson again
The Ravens went 1-2 with Tyler Huntley starting, and outside a strong performance in Week 5, the offense sputtered without Lamar Jackson. Now, he's going on injured reserve. Not good at all.
Of course, we’ll have to wait for the timeline on Jackson’s injury, but with him going on IR, it'll be a minimum of 4 weeks.
In Jackson’s place, it might not even be Tyler Huntley either. Huntley left the Week 8 battle with a toe injury, and he could miss time, too. Joe Fagnano took over for Huntley and had his moments, but he is also an undrafted rookie.
Whoever takes Jackson’s place, and even in his return, Baltimore’s offense must be better. That offensive line was a complete disaster — with Jackson or not, you’re not winning games with that pass protection.
Defense looks better until the back-breakers come
The defense had an encouraging start. They made Josh Allen look human and forced turnovers. In the first half, Buffalo struggled to get a consistent motor running.
Then the back-breaking plays came, though.
Notably, Roquan Smith and Malaki Starks had what should’ve been an easy fourth-down stop in their grasp, but both somehow failed to make the tackle behind the first-down marker. That drive ended in a field goal.
And like usual, Marlon Humphrey showcased his lack of ball skills. He failed to break up a 49-yard completion to D.J. Moore in the third quarter, and a play later, Humphrey dropped an interception that Josh Allen practically gift-wrapped for him. That led to an eventual James Cook touchdown.
Of course, you can’t go without your classic coverage breakdown. Allen found a wide-open Dalton Kincaid on a bootleg for 40 yards, and if it wasn’t over by that point, the Bills put the nail in the coffin with a touchdown three plays later.
Fans would like just one game where the team doesn’t make stupid mistakes. It doesn’t feel like we’ll ever get that.
Derrick Henry finally gets space to work
Derrick Henry played better in this one. Declan Doyle got him out into space, and the five-time Pro Bowl running back made some plays that actually kept the team in the game early on.
Henry finally had freedom out of the backfield. In prior weeks, he would be swarmed immediately any time he got the rock. This week, he was given those opportunities to build up speed, knife through the defense, and fall forward for extra yards.
The stats won’t show it because the Ravens found themselves in a hole and had to let Joe Fagnano sling it. However, Henry looked more like that game-changing player who can help his team win.
The veteran finished with 11 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, and probably should’ve had two if not for a questionable holding call.
An offensive line without Vega Ioane is a nightmare
No Vega Ioane. Big, big problems.
Sunday saw yet another new starting offensive line combination take the field for the Ravens. Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Cam Jurgens, Andrew Vorhees, and Roger Rosengarten started — they didn’t look like they belonged in the National Football League.
Gregory Rousseau embarrassed Rosengarten all game long, Deone Walker continued his impressive 2026 campaign, and Ed Oliver got in on the action as well. Buffalo’s unit finished with 4 sacks and 12 QB hits.
It was more likely the Bills were pressuring the Baltimore quarterback than not. It was abysmal.
You could tell it was a group of guys who had barely played together. The most obvious issues came between Cam Jurgens and Andrew Vorhees, where miscommunication plagued them, allowing free rushers up the middle.
You can only hope Ioane is back sooner rather than later.
Zay Flowers’ goose egg isn’t something to overreact to
The Bills devised a good plan for Zay Flowers. They were physical and doubled on him on occasions. He was held to 0 receptions on 5 targets.
When Tyler Huntley started, Flowers was the security blanket. Unfortunately, that connection isn’t there with Joe Fagnano. It was clear the two were never on the same page.
The offensive line also gave the passing attack zero time to operate. You won't get open when the quarterback is pressured in the snap of a finger. Sure, Flowers could’ve made a catch or two, but there was never a real opportunity for him to get going. That goes for the entire receiving room.
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